The song achieved critical and commercial success internationally, peaking at number one in much of Europe and charting well in all of the English-speaking world. The song has been described as a "summer anthem"[4] by Variance Magazine and, throughout the 2013 festival season, Avicii included it as part of the opening or closing sequence of his sets at EDC Las Vegas, EDC London, Tomorrowland,Creamfields, Electric Zoo and iTunes Festival.
Background[edit]
In an interview with the Daily Star, Avicii, who had previously labelled "Wake Me Up!" as "a fun experiment" during an exclusive chat withMTV UK,[6] said: "I had a demo with Mac Davis singing, the guy who wrote all the Elvis Presley stuff, but I needed another singer to do the parts. At the same time I was tipped off about doing another track with Aloe Blacc and I started working on that track. When I was with Mike Einziger from Incubus, we came up with the chord progression and the melody for Wake Me Up but no real lyrics. None of us sing and we really needed to get that demo down and the only person I knew that lived in LA was Aloe, so I called him and he was free. Lyrics come really easy to him so he wrote them in a couple of hours and we finished the track."[2]
Critical reception[edit]
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy blog gave the song a positive review, stating:
"As chart-friendly EDM continues to reach the furthest corners of the globe, staying ahead of the pack can prove a tricky task - especially when more and more acts arrive on the scene turning out mixes with identikit build-ups, tired lyrics and uninspired breakdowns that newcomers to the arena lap up with excitement. Kudos to Avicii then, who has dared to try something a little different for his latest offering. "So wake me up when it's all over/ When I'm wiser and I'm older," featured artist Aloe Blacc sings over dialled-up, country-flecked guitar strums that sound like Mumford & Sons on speed. The jig-along chorus may conjure up images of Brits-on-tour, but to be honest, what summer anthem doesn't?".[7]
Commercial performance[edit]
The single has peaked at number one in 22 countries to date, including Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Ireland,[8] the United Kingdom, Israel and several European countries, in addition to reaching the top 10 in six others.
"Wake Me Up!" has performed well in the North American music markets, having currently peaked in Canada and the United States at number two and number four, respectively. It also reached number one position in the September 7, 2013 issue of Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart.[9]
In the United Kingdom, "Wake Me Up!" sold 88,000 copies in its first day on sale. According to The Official Charts Company the song is predicted to become the fastest-selling single of 2013.[10] It was reported on 21 July 2013 that "Wake Me Up" had reached number one, becoming the fastest selling single of 2013 so far,[11] selling 267,000 copies, the first single to achieve this since December 2012, when The Justice Collective's charity single, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" debuted at number one.[12] As of the third week since release, "Wake Me Up" has spent three weeks at number one in the UK with sales of 545,000 copies.[13] "Wake Me Up" fell to number two on its fourth week of release, remaining there for its fifth, sixth and seventh week also.[14] On its eighth week of release, the single fell to number three. As of 12th September, "Wake Me Up!" has sold in excess of 877,000 copies, and in addition has been number one on the UK Official Streaming Chart for seven weeks equalling that of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Bastille's "Pompeii".[15] On 15th September - its ninth week of release - "Wake Me Up!" fell another place to number four.[16] The song fell to number six in the following week, whilst Avicii's next single, "You Make Me" debuted one place higher at number five. On October 6th 2013, the single has sold over 1 million copies in the UK, becoming the 140th single to do so in UK chart history and the third single of 2013 to do so, behind Daft Punk's Get Lucky and Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke featuring TI and Pharrell Williams.[17]
In Ireland, as of 16 July, "Wake Me Up" has spent seven consecutive weeks at number one.[18]
In Australia, the song debuted at 42 on 24 June. On the next week, the song skyrocketed to number 2, behind Robin Thicke's song, "Blurred Lines". The number position became Avicii's highest charting song, beating "I Could Be the One" record which peaked at no. 4 earlier in the year. It also beat Aloe Blacc's 2011 hit, "I Need a Dollar", which peaked at no. 11. A week later, the song hit the top position, ending "Blurred Lines" eight-week reign. On its sixth week at the top, 12 August, the song has the longest running number 1 spot for a Swedish act since the 1989 song, "The Look" by Roxette.[19]
The song spent nine consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Dance Chart until being dethroned from the top spot by his next single "You Make Me".
Covers
In the United Kingdom, the original release date was intended to be 8 September 2013.[20] However, in the absence of the original, a group called "Spark Productions" took advantage and released a cover version of it; this version made #26 on the UK Singles Chart[21] before Avicii conceded to public demand and decided to release it early, with the Official Charts Company announcing on 15 July 2013 that it would be released that week.[22]
A cover of the song in Irish was uploaded onto YouTube on 9 August 2013, by an Irish Language College called 'Coláiste Lurgan'. The video received heavy publicity and popularity within Ireland from many news websites and the public. The video was a viral hit within the country and with Irish abroad, hitting a million views in one week.[23][24][25] British band You Me At Six made a country version for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.[26] James Shotwel commented that their cover "will be pulling at your heart strings all day long. The once fun-loving track has taken a turn for the melancholy, but it plays so well you’ll hardly think twice about the change."[27]
In November 2013, British singer-songwriter Pixie Lott covered 'Wake Me Up' live at the Pool Studios in London.[28]
Music video
A lyric video to accompany the release of "Wake Me Up!" was first released into YouTube on June 28 2013 at a total length of four minutes and twelve seconds, teaser clips for the official video were also released.[29]
The official video for was released on to YouTube on 29 July 2013. It features two females, the older girl is Kristina Romanova and the younger girl is Laneya Grace.[citation needed] The video includes cross-promotion from Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren and Sony Xperia Z smartphone. The video was shot in the Santa Clara River, orange groves and in the town ofFillmore, California, west of Los Angeles as well as Downtown LA. Avicii concert footage was from Miami.
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